Around town.

Caray family fires back at Hamilton

February 14, 2006|By Fred Mitchell.

Mild-mannered Dutchie Caray decided Monday to break her silence regarding the vindictive personal attacks on her late husband--Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Caray--which are included in a new book by Milo Hamilton.

In the book "Making Airwaves," Hamilton refers to Caray as "a miserable human being."

"That hurts," Dutchie Caray said. "All I really want to say is, I don't think Milo has shown any class at all. It is probably just to sell books. I hope nobody buys the book.

"I was really, really disappointed in Milo. After 25 years to bring up these things ... and Harry has been dead eight years."

Hamilton, inducted into the broadcasters' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1992, was bitter Caray was tabbed the Cubs' broadcaster after Tribune Co. purchased the team from the Wrigley family in 1981.

"The Tribune Co. decided to hire Harry. It wasn't Harry's fault he was a great broadcaster," Dutchie said.

Hamilton, who has been the Astros' broadcaster for 22 years, had stints in Chicago with the Cubs (twice) and with the White Sox. He also broadcast Bulls and DePaul basketball games.

Chip Caray, Harry's grandson and a former WGN-Ch. 9 Cubs broadcaster, disputes Hamilton's portrayal in the book that Chip tried to reconcile the relationship between the families of the two broadcasters.

Hamilton, who also did not get along with Harry's son Skip Caray, wrote that Chip Caray "made many attempts to repair the damage between his family and mine. ... It was refreshing to know that the grandson had decided to bury the hatchet."

But Chip, who also says he was disappointed in Hamilton's book, counters now by saying he never intended to repair the relationship.

"I came over during a game in 2003 to express to Milo that I wished his wife, Arlene (who died in 2005), well because I knew she had been very sick," Chip said. "But it would be a mischaracterization to imply that there were many attempts [to reconcile]. I didn't want to be a part of that stuff."

In the book co-authored by Dan Schlossberg and former Cubs media relations director Bob Ibach, Hamilton took shots at former Tribune Co. executive Jim Dowdle as well. It was Dowdle's idea to have a statue of Harry Caray erected outside Wrigley Field.

"The first statue put up outside Wrigley Field should have been for Ernie Banks. That's a given," Hamilton wrote.

"Jim is a real stand-up guy. I am also disappointed in what [Hamilton] had to say about Jim Dowdle," Dutchie Caray said. "In this book Milo tried to act like he took the high road, but he didn't."

Word on the street

Thursday, Harry Caray's Restaurant will be the headquarters for the 8th annual Toast to Harry that will be conducted simultaneously in 80 countries.

Restaurant President Grant DePorter says a new drink will be introduced to the public on that day. "It will be called the `Milo,' otherwise known as the Cheap Shot and Sour Grapes,'" said DePorter. The 25-cent drink will be a 2-ounce shot of beer with a side of sour grapes.

Harry Caray impersonators perform a special tribute to Harry at noon and fans will join WMVP-AM 1000's Harry Teinowitz along with special guests from 3-6 p.m. as the station broadcasts live from Harry Caray's downtown. At 5:30, Dutchie Caray will lead the toast followed by "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."

For more, go to www.harry-carays.com/upcoming-events.

Sights seen

There is just one undefeated men's college basketball team in the country. It's Division III Lawrence of Appleton, Wis. The school of 1,300 students is 20-0 and has several Chicago-area players, including sophomore guard George Hogen (Hersey); freshman guard Doug Kadison (Loyola Academy); freshman guard Dustin Lee and junior forward Matt Osland (St. Charles North); and sophomore forward/center Ryan Wendel (Buffalo Grove). The Vikings travel to Carroll College (19-2) in Waukesha, Wis., Wednesday night.